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Fran Cleland
May 31, 20232 min read
Young guns hot on the heels of Australia's elite riders
WHEN we look at the Australian teams competing for us at the Olympics and world championships, older riders feature prominently. Fair...


Fran Cleland
May 31, 20234 min read
Bits: Win for Australian, Geelong Royal news and selectors named
CHAMPION dressage rider Maree Tomkinson continues her overseas campaign. At the Wiesbaden four-star CDI, one of the biggest competitions...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20232 min read
Small club packs a big punch to take out Top Teams trophy
GEROGERY Riding Club north of Albury in NSW describes itself as a small group "with just few members who like to get out and about to...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20232 min read
Riders head to Naracoorte in record numbers for horse trials
IT WAS a record year for Naracoorte Horse trials with 244 entries that saw riders from Victoria and Tasmania joining the South...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20233 min read
Distance no obstacle for school riders bound for Geelong
WHILE Pony Club is very popular, the rise of the interschools competitions has added another dimension for young horse riders. Any...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20232 min read
Books make way for saddles at state library launch of Wild Ride
WHEN you are in a room with people like John Lordan, Tony Gifford, Bernie Brady, Cliff Killeen, Mal Byrne, Annalee Surinow and Jennifer...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20233 min read
It's that lovely time of year when the foals come out to play
AUTUMN is the time of year that breeders start bringing in the foals born last season and assessing the development of those from the...


Fran Cleland
May 24, 20234 min read
Bits: Riders choose kindness, tack updates and a new statue
CORIO and Moorabool Pony Club has been hot to trot doing something special to raise awareness about the importance of kindness. The...


Rachel Haslau and Fran Cleland
May 17, 20232 min read
Dash for Ned Kelly's green sash ends in dead heat
DESPITE near freezing conditions, the annual Ruffy Mini Enduro hosted by the Longwood Carriage Driving Club was a huge success, with...


Fran Cleland
May 17, 20232 min read
Four-star a walk in the park for Molly and Tadpole at Ballarat
MOLLY Lines' eventing partner Tadpole showed that after successfully completing a top 10 finish in the three-star class at Adelaide, the...


Fran Cleland
May 17, 20232 min read
Many hands contributed to the making of a great horse
SHOW people never pass up a handsome horse, and even if they don’t need it for themselves, they buy it, tell good friends about it and if...


Fran Cleland
May 17, 20232 min read
Gentle art of the plough lives on through heritage enthusiasts
TRACTORS with GPS guidance are now used to run straight furrows in paddocks but in the past, great horses were guided by men with kind...


Fran Cleland
May 17, 20233 min read
Thoroughbreds to finally be recognised at Olympics
THE Thoroughbred has given so much to Olympic competition either by competing or as breeding horses. The announcement that at next year’s...


Fran Cleland
May 17, 20234 min read
Bits: Healthy horses, important survey and eccentric jockey turns out to be a woman
THE Brits have decided their show horses are too fat. Horses and ponies of a healthy weight are being celebrated in some showing classes...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20232 min read
North Eastern zone takes shield at horse trials championships
THE North Eastern zone has won the interzone team shield at the Pony Club Victoria Horse Trials Championships, hosted this year by the...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20233 min read
Stirling Classic sets the scene for Quilty in coming weeks
WITH the world-famous Tom Quilty Ride only weeks away, the Stirling Endurance Classic in Queensland attracted 178 riders across 10...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20234 min read
Girls, girls, girls but it hasn't always been that way
WE accept without thinking that Edwina Tops Alexander is one of the world’s leading showjumping riders, that we have several elite level...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20232 min read
Showjumpers packed in for Autumn show at Werribee
THE Melbourne Show jumping Club’s Autumn Show at Werribee Park had such huge numbers that several classes were divided and more than 1300...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20233 min read
Bridget bound for UK, with a little help from her friends
BRIDGET Murphy is a remarkable young woman. The keen dressage rider was born with Multiple Pterygium Syndrome, meaning she has muscle...


Fran Cleland
May 10, 20234 min read
Bits: Pony club for oldies, endurance doping and SA turmoil
THE Pony Club Association has announced that the 2023 PCA Nationals will have masters classes for members over 25 years. They can...
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